Shuttle binder for looms



March 13, 1934.

W H. WAKEFIELD SHUTTLE BINDER FOR LOoMs Filed De. 7, 1931 Patented Mar. 13, 1934 SHUTTLE BINDER FOR LOOMS Walter H. Wakeeld, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 7, 1931, Serial No. 579,592

8 claims. (c1. 139-185) This invention relates to improvements in shuttle checks or binders for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a device of this type which will require the shuttle to spend its force when coming to rest against a series of resilient devices each of which must be deformed before the shuttle is completely boxed.

In the usual form of shuttle check or binder the momentum of the shuttle is dissipated in two Ways, first, by friction produced by the check or binder, and secondly, as the shuttle nears the end of its flight, by a direct blow against the picker. Where the rate of shuttle travel is relatively low, friction can be depended upon to absorb enough of the energy of the shuttle so that what remain to be spent against the picker is not enough to damage the latter. When looms are operated at high speeds, however, it is found that the friction remains practically the same as in slower speeds, with the result that the increased energy must be absorbed by the picker, and'there accordingly results excessive wear of the picker.

Binders are customarily held in position by a binder spring which resists outward movement of the binder under action of the shuttle, but this spring is ordinarily flexed only once and when it receives maximum deformation no more energy is absorbed from the shuttle in further expanding it, friction and the picker being relied upon to absorb the remaining energy. T.t is an important object of my present invention to provide a plurality of resilient devices each normally projecting into the path of the shuttle and each movable independently of the other devices to have its shape deformed by the shuttle as the latter is boxed. By arranging these devices, which may be in the form of leaf springs, in front of the shuttle box the total frictional surface may remain approximately the same as heretofore, but there is a marked increase in the energy required to deform the several devices. In other words, the binder set forth herein acts in such a way that the shuttle energy which is absorbed by friction and also by the picker may remain substantially the same as in former practice, but the additional momentum due to increased or high speeds is taken care of by the deformation of a series of resilient devices, such as leaf springs.

It is a further object of my invention to provide these several devices with anchor means located adjacent the outer end of the shuttle'box and to have the first spring to be engaged by the shuttle located in front of the other springs.

K The other springs are arranged behind the rst spring in the order in which they are engaged by the shuttle as the latter is boxed. In this way the bending or the rst spring in no way lessens the eiect of the other springs, and the latter may be engaged successively with assurance that each will exert its maximum force against the shuttle wall.

Shuttles on weft replenishing looms are ordinarily made with a large vertical slot for the passage of bobbins, and the front wall is found to flex somewhat under the pressure of a heavy force exerted thereagainst. Each end of the shuttle, however, is ordinarily made solid, and it is this part of the shuttle which deforme the series of springs which form my present binder. In this way `a solid and non-compressible part of the shuttle is made to expand or stress the springs and the eiect of this arrangement is to require said springs to exert their maximum force against Va non-yielding part of the shuttle.v

It is another object of my invention to provide a set of similar leaf springs having hat portions which can be nested together within an appropriate support and moved as a unit with respect to the path of travel of the shuttle. As shown herein I use a cradle having a point contact with the shuttle box, screws or the like being located on each side of the point so that the angle'of the latter may be varied to change or alter the checking action on the shuttle.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a lay end and shuttle box showing the latter equipped with my present invention, v

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, two shuttle boxes being illustrated,

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 1 but on a reduced scale and showing how the several springs project into the path of travel of the shuttle and are successively deformed by the advancing end of the shuttle, and

Fig. 4 is a detail section on an enlarged scale along line 4-4 of Fig. 2. i l

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a lay 10 having a lay end 11 and box guides 12 and 1-3, respectively. Tongues 14 and 15 on the shuttle box B are received by the guides 12 and 13, respectively, in the usual manner to direct movement of the boxes as they are raised by the box rod 16. As shown herein, the box structure includes two cells, although my invention is not restricted in any way by reason of the number of cells or shuttle boxes used.

The box structure may comprise a single casting 17 with which the tongues are cast integral the top and bottom 18 and 19, respectively, or" which, together with a central partition 20, define the two boxes. The boxes may be provided with a block 21 adjacent the outer end thereof shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, said block having upper and lower horizontal slots 22 and 23, respectively, for a purpose to be described. The picker 24 may be of the usual form and is illustrated herein as of the sliding type, the picker spindle customarily used in `box looms being omitted. The shuttle S may have a transfer slot T located between the solid ends and extending vertically for the passage of bobbins at the replenishing side of the loom.

The matter thus far described with the exception of the particuar form of block 21 may be the same as is found in looms of present construction.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide each cell or shuttle box with a multileaf binder shown herein asformed of four separate and independently flexible leaf springs. The binder, designated generally at 30, comprises a long front leaf 31 behind which lie other leaves 32, 33 and 34, which are made progressivey shorter in the order named. The outer leaf may have an extension 35 to coact with a protector linger 36 in the usual way and may have its forward position determined by a binder pin 37 of usual construction.

The forward`V leaf 31 extends rearwardly along a curved line as at 38 and has a substantially straight rear part 39 to engage the shuttle. The right hand end of this leaf as shown in Fig. 1, may be bent forwardly as at 40 to terminate in the previously4 described finger engaging end 35. The shorter leaves 32, 33 and 34 may have rear substantially straight shuttle engaging ends 41 each connected by a curved part 42 to a forward attaching part 43 extending parallel to and behind the corresponding straight part 44 of the front long leaf 31. The parts 43 and 44 are of substantially the same vertical dimension and fit within the grooves or slots in the block.

The straightened left hand ends of the several springs as Viewed in Fig,` 1 have extended therethrough a pair of screws 45 threaded into the, block 21. As viewed in Fig. 4 said screws extend through a cradle 46having an intermediateedge 47 which engages the block at a point between the screws 45. The arrangement of cradle and screws as shown in Fig. 4 makes possible an adjustment of the binder leaves as a whole. By tightening the right hand screw and rocking the cradle in a left hand direction the ends of the binder springs are moved farther into the path of the shuttle, or by tightening the left hand screwand slackening on the right hand one the checking effect of the binder is lessened. -The structure shown in Fig. 4 for varying the amount of pressure exerted by the binder is shown for illustrative purposes only and I do not wish necessarily to be limited to this structure for moving the assembled leaf springs as a whole.

In operation, all of the rear parts of the binder sections or leaves will project into the path of the shuttle to be engaged by the advancing nose, as suggested in Fig. 3. When .the shuttle rst entersthe boxtheadvancing end-will push. theI long leaf 31 forwardly the effect of which will be' to initiate retarding of the shuttle. Thereafter as the shuttle continues to move it will rub frictionally along the surface 39 and the advancing point will engage leaf 32, deforming the same until the straight surface 41 thereof frictionally engages the shuttle. In like manner as the shuttle continues its travel in the box it will successively engage leaves 33 and 34, deflecting each of these in turn and having the energy thereof absorbed partly by friction and partly by bending the springs. The straight rear parts 4l will lie in frictional engagement with the front wall of the shuttle and this will contribute as a factor in checking the momentum of the shuttle, but the important part of the checking is accomplished by the deforming or bending of the several leaves of the spring.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that as each leaf section is deformed it moves away from those which still remain in the path of the shuttle, the purpose of this arrangement being to permit each leaf to exert its maximum pressure without appreciable lessening due to prior deformation of. other leaves at an earlier point of the travel of the shuttle into the box. This result is achieved by having the leaves anchored near the outer end of the shuttle box.

If desired the strain incident to the flexing of the several leaves may be imposed in part at least upon a loop or strap 50 surrounding the forward parallel contacting portions of said leaves, as suggested in Fig. 4. This strap relieves the screws of the necessity of withstanding the entire strain and aids in holding the leaves together as a unit.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form of multiple leaf binder the several parts of which are each projected intoA the path of the shuttle so that the latter is required to deform the leaves successively, one at a time. It will also be seen that. the frictional contact along the front wall of the shuttle is practically the same as that which exists in present forms of binders so that there is no sacrifice in the amount of shuttle momentum absorbed frictionally. Furthermore, the several parts of the binder are so arranged as to flex away. from unflexed parts when engaged by the shuttle. The effect of this is to permit each leaf to act independently of the others so that it may exert maximum checking force on the shuttle. It will also be seen that the several lea-ves may be heldA together as av unit and moved as a whole with respect to the path of the shuttle so asv to'vary the retarding effect on the shuttle, the strap -50i holding the leaves together as a unit.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details hereinI disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a shuttle binder-for a loom having a lay along which a shuttle travels, a set of separate resilient leaf springs each having a portion thereof secured to the lay and each having a second portion to project into the path of the shuttle, said second portions arranged at different points along the path of travel to be engaged successively by the latter.

2. In a shuttle binder fora loom having a-lay along which a shuttle travels, a set of separate leaf springs each having a substantially straight front part secured to the lay and a rear part to engagea .wall of :theshuttla said straight-front roo rio

parts being supported by the lay, each spring being yieldable independently of a yielding movement of any other spring and having the rear part thereof projecting into the path of travel of the shuttle so that said parts are engaged successively by the shuttle as the latter nears the end of its travel.

3. In a shuttle binder for a loom having a lay along which a shuttle travels, a set of separate individually removable leaf springs each having a substantially straight front portion extending along the length of the lay, means to bind the straight portions together, each spring `naving a rear part to engage a wall or the shuttle, said rear parts all projecting into the path of the travel of the shuttle, and when the latter is boxed lying against the wall of the shuttle in frictional engagement therewith, each shuttle engaging part being yieldable independently of the other engaging parts when engaged by the shuttle and acting by reason of the resilience thereof to resist movement of the shuttle.

4. In a loom having a lay and a drop box at one end thereof to receive a shuttle moving along the lay, a set of separate independently iiexible leaf springs having shuttle engaging parts located at different points along the lay and projecting into the path of travel of the shuttle, and means to hold said springs to cause the same to resist iiexing when engaged by the shuttle, said springs to be engaged successively by the shuttle and checking the movement of the latter by absorbing energy from the shuttle when being iiexed.

5. In a loom having a lay and a drop box at one end thereof to receive a shuttle moving along the lay, a set of separate springs secured to the outer end of the box and projecting inwardly toward the center of the loom, each spring having a shuttle engaging part normally projected into the path of travel of the shuttle and positioned to be engaged by the latter, said springs being flexed in successive order and each acting independently of the others to retard movement of the shuttle by absorbing energy from the shuttle due to liexing.

6. In a loom having a lay and a drop box at one end thereof to receive a shuttle moving along the lay, a set of separate leaf springs secured to the outer end of the shuttle box and projecting inwardly toward the center of the loom, each spring being exible independently of the other springs and terminating at a different point and extending into the path of the travel of the shuttle, said springs being so related that any one which is engaged by the shuttle will be moved by the latter in a direction away from any Vother spring to be engaged by the shuttle as the latter continues its iiight.

7. In a shuttle box for looms having a lay, a set of separate shuttle retarding springs positioned for successive engagement with the shuttle as the latter enters the box, means to hold said springs together in the form of a unit with one part of each spring fixed to the lay, and means to move said unit as a Whole with respect to the path of travel of the shuttle. s

8. In a shuttle box for looms, a set of shuttle retarding springs positioned for successive engagement with the shuttle as the latter enters the box, means to hold said springs together in the form of a unit, and means to move said unit as a whole with respect to the path of travel of the shuttle, said means including a rockable cradle capable of being held in a plurality of angular positions with respect to the shuttle box and operatively related to the springs to determine the angular position of the latter.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

